FAQs - Mattress Topper with Black Spot On It

Question:
Hey Jim, sorry I missed you.

I need some cleaning tips RE: A mattress topper with black spot on it . . .

This high loft mattress topper (2" loft) has polyester stuffing and a cotton cover. It has some black spots from moisture on the underside.

Doesn't look like we can fit it in a washer even at a laundromat.

Would a bleach/water prespray help?

Is chlorine bleach any safer than Stain Magic on cotton in addressing the mildew or black spots?

Thanks Jim

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Answer:
Any bleaching agent will weaken cotton. The black spots are likely an evidence of damage to the fiber already, so you must advise your customer than any further cleaning (with or without bleaching) will weaken the fabric further. I would not use anything except Boost All or Oxy Plus in your pre-conditioner. At use dilutions they will produce the equivalent of 3% peroxide, which is safe on cotton.

PS - Do not promise your customer much in the way of results

Also, I might add, that another positive thing about the powdered oxidizers (like Oxy Plus and Boost All) is that they are stable until diluted in water and are then at their maximum effectiveness.

The liquid peroxide spotting agents such as found in products like Stain Magic and Stain Zone are ready to use and easy to apply, but you can't always be sure just how strong your solution is based on its age and how much excessive heat or light it has been exposed to in your truck!

Jim
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Hey Jim,

Thanks for the reminder about Oxy Plus. Anymore we are quick to grab Stain Magic or Stain Zone.

And I also understand about the "promise" thing.

Thanks for your help Jim

FAQs - Specialty Antique Brick Floor

Q - Jim,

I have a valuable customer who purchases quite a few services from us each year.

We clean thousands of $$ worth of Orientals each year, and just completed a $2,000 duct job for her.

She has a kitchen floor that is constructed using the bricks of demolished French Cottages. The grout is mortar. The bricks are red. She thinks they were sealed when installed 10 or so years ago.

Your thoughts on cleaning this stuff, please.

Secondly. I have a question regarding successful commercial tile and grout cleaning being done. Is anyone using high speed t&g equipment? (Seems I recall seeing a dual head spinner somewhere).

Thanks
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A - Customers like her make up for the nickle and dime ones who demand champagne service for beer pricing.

Your should be able to clean the brick just like ceramic tile. Here is my only concern: Efflorescence. Do you remember the grout lines in the assembly hall you and I worked on where we needed acid to correct the white haze in the grout?

Some types of brick do that all over the brick, not the grout. No real way to know ahead of time.

So I'd look at trying to first clean it with a milder tile product (Spinergy 7) and a floor scrubber, followed by a clear water rinse with your SX12. If the brick is very uneven, it may need wet vacuumed with a floor attachment with a flexible squeegee head.

If that doesn't clean it, prespray with Spinergy 11, but do not allow more than about 5 minutes of dwell time before rinsing in the same fashion with the SX12, but now you can run Spinergy 7 through the machine.

If there is any efflorescence after it dries, try to remove it dry with a green pad run "dry" on a scrubber. If that doesn't work, try Viper Renew, but pretest to make sure it doesn't etch the brick so badly that it gets a washed out look.

Obviously you want a release.

We have nothing larger for T & G cleaning. If there is, be aware of the need to limit jet size so that you don't get pressure and volume loss on your machine.

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Q - Jim,

The "dry green pad" is totally new to me. Can you elaborate on that. Also, what else are green pads used for. How are they as to aggressiveness compared to other colored pads.

Thanks

A - The green pad is usually used for scrubbing of tile floors without stripping. Both it and the slightly less aggressive blue pad are used for this purpose. The next more aggressive is the brown pad for light stripping. The next less aggressive (after blue) is the red pad.

Using the green pad "dry" simply means you apply no moisture to the surface, but just use the pad to aggressively brush off the mineral residue. By adding no water, you don't get any more efflorescence.

FAQs - Blood Stain on Viscose Fabric

Q - Jim,

Need your help if possible. We have a customer that has a fabric that we got blood on, just one small spot. I need to know the best way to clean this safely. The fabric is 100% viscose. The cleaning code is "P". The fabric is from Robert Allen.
If you can help, please advise.

Thank You
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A – The blood isn't the problem, the viscose is.

Viscose is another name for rayon, and you'll find that it loses color and water marks easily. If it weren't for the fact that blood needs removed with water based materials, I'd say dry clean it.

Was the fabric protected? If it was, you MIGHT have a chance of getting reasonably good results. If not, your chances are slim.

That said, this would be the procedures I'd recommend:

1. Inform the customer that most wet spotting procedures can remove color and potentially distort the texture of rayon. Your process may also cause puckering and shrinkage, depending on the construction of the fabric. (A sturdy, rough weave construction could respond well).
2. Once you have her written approval, try to simply rinse the entire cushion with Fab Set, diluted 1 ounce per gallon of water. An acidic rinse agent like Fab Set rarely removes blood, but if it had a protector applied, you might have some success. The main reason to do this first is that by evenly dampening the fabric with Fab Set, and using this simple rinse step, you will prevent water marks and perhaps color loss.
3. If blood remains, apply Avenge spotter to a towel, and VERY GENTLY blot the blood stain. Do NOT rub it, as viscose is much weaker wet than dry and you will cause distortion otherwise.
4. If the Avenge spotter does not remove the blood, apply Protein Spotter to a towel and gently blot the stain. You will likely remove color with this procedure, so this is why a signed, specifically worded agreement is critical. You might remove the blood and not the color, and if you are so fortunate as to do so, be sure to rinse the fabric again with Fab Set to remove residual Avenge and Protein Spotter.
5. If the Protein Spotter does not remove the blood, you may try 3% Hydrogen Peroxide. Blot and watch for a color change.
6. If you get reasonably good results, the fabric was probably protected when it was purchased. If it wasn't protected, you will likely remove the blood stain, the original dye, and distort the fabric as well. Patience and limited applications of spotting agents might limit this damage, but its nearly impossible to avoid some color and texture damage when cleaning viscose.

Jim

FAQs - Black Marks from Dragging Feet

Q - Hello Jim,

I'm on a job and they have a kid that drags his feet with shoes on and has put black marks on the carpet. how would i get that out?

A - The black marks from dragged shoes have two potential staining sources: Two not so bad, one VERY bad:

1. If the black marks are from oily soils, a volatile spotter such as All Solv or Solvent Clean will remove the marks readily. You need only to apply it with a clean white cloth, and blot until the carpet looks clean.
   
   Both of these solvents leave no residue, and will require no additional cleaning. If, however, you still find that there is a light brown stain, the application of a traffic lane cleaner, such as Zone Perfect or Megapack, will emulsify the remaining oily residues and allow them to be extracted during the cleaning process.


2. Sometimes what spots that appear to be black marks are marks where deicing salt has been walked into the carpet and left as a moisture attracting residue. The same salt that melts ice also keeps carpet wet while attracting dirt that sticks to the wet spots. What results are black marks that feel damp instead of greasy to the touch.
   
   Such salt residues should be removed by applying an acidic rinse agent, such as FabSet or Refresh Soft, then cleaning with hot water extraction. The acidic rinse agent changes the insoluble calcium chloride to very soluble sodium chloride. This procedure is also helpful if crusty white stains are found on the carpet from salt as well.


3. The toughest black mark from shoes comes from shoe polish. Shoe polish may contain disperse dyes that permanently stain most carpets. If you suspect shoe polish, clean the carpet as best as you can, then apply Stain Zone or Stain Magic. Over time it may lighten or remove the stains. But don't count on it.

FAQs - It Turned Pink?

Q - Jim,

We always rinse our upholstery fabrics with an acidic rinse agent regardless of the fiber type because we've been told that's the safe way to do it.

I just looked at a job where a beige synthetic velvet has turned light pink. I thought it might be some light browning or something, so I applied a stronger solution of our acid rinse, and it turned darker pink, almost red!!! What happened?

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A -
Some dyes react with acidic solutions and create what are known as "indicator dye changes". This is a rare occurrence, but easily correctable in most cases.

Simply apply household ammonia, which reverses the pH from acid to alkaline. The great thing about ammonia is that it will then self neutralize as the ammonia gas leaves the fabric and in the end it will leave the fabric neutral.

NOTE: "Use household ammonia undiluted from the bottle. Do not use "lemon scent" or "sudsy ammonia" or ammoniated cleaners, as they have additives that may leave a residue"

In the future, you might decide to rinse synthetic fiber fabrics with neutral detergents, such as Avenge Clean Rinse to prevent this problem.

However, since this problem is truly very rare, the advantages of rinsing upholstery with an acidic rinse agent to prevent color bleeding, cellulose browning, and stiffening from detergent residue far outweigh the extremely rare event of an indicator dye change.

FAQs - Brown Spots After Cleaning

Hello Jim -

I'm hoping you can assist me with a problem carpet. I've seen your posts on the various Internet bulletin boards and realize you are amongst the most respected professionals within the carpet cleaning industry.

I cleaned a carpet a week ago Friday and was called back because of an issue which caused brown, elongated spotting on the carpet. I've cleaned it twice since then but the marks continue to return after each cleaning but in different areas. In some places on the carpet, the the marks seem to correspond with the end of wand strokes and/or where a pad moved across the carpet. I've attached several pictures so you can see the problem areas.

Here are the particulars:

1. Carpet fiber is Olefin as determined via the burn test and the fibers floated on water without absorbing.
2. Carpet style is cut pile, perhaps Saxony.
3. Carpet had not been cleaned in four years and was extremely soiled. No kids or pets.
4. Cleaning process: pre-vacuumed using a Proteam commercial with beater brush; applied cleaning solution; agitated with machine pad (initial cleaning only); rinsed and extracted with Prochem Peak; post-padded with white cotton pad (most recent cleaning only); groomed. Ceiling fans in all rooms set on high.
5. Cleaning agents used: 1) Traffic Slam prespray boosted with Prochem Oxy Plus & End Zone rinse; 2) Zone Perfect prespray & Prochem All Fiber Rinse; 3) Zone Perfect & End Zone.

On the second cleaning, I used added dry strokes pushing the wand well beyond normal overlapping. I post-padded before grooming during the most recent cleaning. My plan is to next use a Prochem ProCaps machine with an appropriate cleaning solution.

I've never run into this before so any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you
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Hello

I am always happy to help someone in need in our industry, and I have an idea of what might help.

1. Do you know the prior cleaning history of the carpet (before the four year interval?)
2. When you clean carpet, do you release the trigger valve on your back stroke, or do you leave the trigger on as you push the wand forward?
3. Do you have available any of the following products? Bridgepoint Encapugard or Pros Choice ARA?

Let me know and I'll give you a step by step process to solve the problem.

Best regards,
Jim Pemberton
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Hello Jim -

Thanks very much for replying.

Cleaning history: I am told by the current home owner that the carpets were cleaned by the previous owner just before she moved into the house about four years ago. She has no idea what cleaning method was used. After the second cleaning resulted in the same issue, I asked if she could get in touch with the previous owners to find out how the carpets were cleaned but she believes they moved out of the area.

Wand strokes: I have the trigger engaged on the upstroke (pushing forward), release it just before completing that stroke, and the back stroke is dry.

ARA/Encapugard: I don't have either on the van - thought I had ARA but it is CSS - but can purchase either (would lean towards ARA) easy enough.

Again, thank you for taking the time to assist. I truly appreciate it.
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Hello

Thank you for your feedback. The answer would be easier if you HAD kept the valve on during your backstroke, as that does render the type of discoloration that is shown in the pictures.

Nevertheless, the problem appears to be wicking, regardless of the cause. Carpets made from olefin fibers have a greater tendency to wick, and the history of an unknown prior cleaning and a long period before professional cleaning reinforce that to me.

I think you've introduced enough chemistry to this carpet. Unless the carpet has become heavily soiled since your last attempt, I'd use End Zone only the next time, with your water pressure set at 250-300 PSI, several vacuum strokes, and then apply the Anti Resoiling Agent.

If you have airmovers of any sort, use them to dry the carpet quickly.

Let me know how this works for you.

Jim Pemberton

FAQs - Get Self Tanner Out of Nylon Carpet

Q - Hey Jim,
What's the best process to get some instant tan, tan lotion off of white nylon carpet?

A
There are several ingredients in self tanning lotions, but the two basic ingredients that will challenge you are oils and pigments.

Break down the oily component with a gelled solvent first. Products such as Bridgepoint Gel Break or Pro's Choice Prosolv Gel will suspend the oils without allowing the pigments to penetrate deeper in the yarns, such as would occur if you use a basic volatile or non volatile solvent.

Next, you should attempt to remove the emulsified oil and suspended pigment with an alkaline spotter, such as Bridgepoint Protein Spotter or Pro's Choice Power Gel.

Follow this step with Hot Water Extraction.

If any stain remains, apply an oxidizing stain remover, such as Bridgepoint Stain Zone or Pro's Choice Stain Magic.

If your customer hasn't tried to do anything first, such as scrubbing the spot with a household spotter, you have a very good chance of removing the stain completely with this process.

- Jim Pemberton

FAQs - Coffee Stain on Wool Rug

Q - Hey Jim,
Can I clean a coffee stain on a wool area rug with Bridgepoint Coffee Stain Remover?

A -
A bit of background is important before answering this question.
The manufacturer's of wool carpets and rugs do not recommend the use of any oxidizing or reducing agents on their products. (Coffee Stain Remover is a mild reducing agent).

That said, there is likely no other way to remove coffee from this rug. Be sure to get a release IN WRITING from the client and advise them that the use of this product is not recommended on wool, but that its your only chance to remove the stain. Once you've gotten permission, mix the product in warm water, apply it, then allow it to work. It does not need to be agitated or blotted, as it is not a spot remover, but a stain remover.

If the stain is removable at all (a 50/50 proposition on wool), it may take hours, so this is best done in plant. Once the stain is gone or lightened, clean the carpet. DO NOT clean the area with very hot water (not a wise practice on area rugs anyway) as the residual reducing agent in Coffee Stain Remover may react with heat and cause color fading.

FAQs - Lingering Odors After Cleaning

(Q) Hey Jim,
I have a clothing store account that I clean on a regular basis. Next door there is a deli that had severe water damage, and the water that intruded into the clothing store contained blood and other liquids from the meat stored at the deli.

We used an enzyme cleaner to break down the blood, and the carpet cleaned well. However there is an odor still detectable in the carpet when the manager puts his nose down into the carpet. There also appears to be some odor coming through the wall.

What products do you have for treating the carpet, as well as something to control the infiltrated odor until the deli can be cleaned and put back into business?

(A)
The following are my recommendations for treatment of the odor problem that has occurred in the clothing store you are maintaining.

First, as I understand the problem, there was water intrusion from a deli located next door, and that the water contained blood and other organic materials that have created a decomposition odor.

Secondly, the drying and cleaning process that you outlined, including the use of enzyme cleaners to break down the protein in the affected area was completely appropriate.

The remaining odor that exists likely comes from two places:

1. There may be residual organic material in the carpet that has become a growth media for bacteria. This bacteria is notoriously difficult to remove, but has been successfully treated in similar situations with Microban Clean Carpet Sanitizer. If you use the product through a truck mount machine, add 6 ounces of concentrate to 1 gallon of water, then meter through the machine at a flow meter setting of 3 GPH. Follow label directions for use in portable equipment.


2. The more difficult challenge that likely exists here is infiltrated odor. This odor is likely coming from the neighboring store, as there is no vapor barrier in the wall between each building. Until any odor problems in the adjoining store are rectified, there will be some odor that could be detected in the clothing store.

An economical solution to this problem would be to place a few small Bad Odor Blocks near the area where the water originally came through the wall.

I recommend that you use the "Rain Forest" scent to best combat this odor of bacterial growth that is coming through the wall.

A better result, if your budget allows, would come with using a Vaportek Restorator unit and a Vaportek Cartridge. The natural oils used by Vaportek are completely safe to the employees and customers in the store, and the fragrance is not offensive. We have been successful in using the Vaportec product in the treatment of both smoke and decomposition odors in the past. This does not, of course, eliminate the need to clean the carpet with the Microban Clean Carpet Sanitizer.

If you need any further assistance, do not hesitate to call or email me.

Jim Pemberton

FAQs - Upholstery Advice

Q - Hey Jim,

I'm about to start messing around with upholstery, but before I go ruining my family's furniture I was hoping you can help me out a little.

Procyon, Hot Water and a Hair Brush will ruin which of these fabrics? Thanks in advance for the responses – (hopefully there are responses

• Natural Fabrics
  * Cotton, Cotton Blends, Leather, Linen, Silk, & Wools
  


• Synthetics
  * Acetate, Acrylic, Microfibre, Nylon, Olefin, Polyester, Rayon, & Vinyl
  

 - From a Potential New Diversifier

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A- Thanks for your interesting request!

I'm not comfortable offering advice on a branded product; those are answers better given by the manufacturer, but I hope these thoughts help:

1. Very few cleaning agents of any sort harm FIBERS (such as you listed).What they may do is cause dye instability (bleeding or fading) or contribute to cellulose browning in cotton, linen, and rayon. Highly buffered alkaline materials may harm wool and silk fibers themselves. Fibers that are weaker when wet, such as rayon and acetate, may not be damaged by a cleaning agent, but by brush or tool agitation.


2. Identifying specific fibers on upholstery can be challenging.
   Upholstery fabric manufacturers often blend two or more fibers together, and sometimes coat the back of the fabric with coatings to stabilize the fabric. This creates a condition where the conventional burn test charts become nearly useless.
   
   Since most problems with upholstery come from fabrics that contain fibers that are protein (wool/silk) or cellulose (cotton/linen/rayon), you can identify these by the fact that they crumble or smear in your finger tips after they are ignited. Any synthetic materials blended in will melt to a hard bead, but the protein/cellulose will still show up.


3. Always conduct a color bleeding test.


4. Be careful not to overwet the fabric during the cleaning process, and dry the material as quickly as possible afterward. Fabrics that dry quickly rarely have bleeding or browning problems.


5. You'll get better results on your natural (cellulose/protein) fibers with a neutral detergent and gentle agitation than with an alkaline, "detergent free" product like you are using. A few good upholstery preconditioning agents are: Prochem Fine Fabric Shampoo, Bridgepoint Fabric Shampoo, Masterblend Upholstery Shampoo.


6. Get to a training class as soon as you can. I've given you a few hints here, but going to a class where you can learn to do the tests and try out various methods and products will help you far more than my few thoughts here will.

Feel free to email or call me at 800-342-2297, ext 107 if I can help you further.
Jim Pemberton